


A Week of Coming Out

by katmarajade



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Coming Out, Community: lgbtfest, Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-25
Updated: 2014-02-25
Packaged: 2018-01-13 18:49:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1237174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katmarajade/pseuds/katmarajade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ginny finds the courage to come out to her brothers. Some are more understanding than others.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Week of Coming Out

**Author's Note:**

> Written for LGBTfest on LJ in 2010.

She decides that it's time to tell her brothers on Sunday. The urge has been there for a while and after a bottle of a particularly lovely Gewürtztraminer she realizes that she has five brothers and five days in the week and telling one per day is not nearly so daunting as all five at once. It's not one of her more brilliant plans, but it's a plan, which is something. 

She tells George on Monday. She always related to the twins best out of all her brothers, so it seemed sensible to start with George. She brings an extra packet of hobnobs to their biweekly evening of beer and brainstorming and blurts out that she fancies girls and not blokes in the middle of a discussion about whether a charm to make bubbles come out of a person's ears should be marketed in chocolate or chewing gum form. 

George raises an eyebrow and tells her that he's shocked and appalled that the daydream charm featuring a handsome male quidditch star that he'd given her for Christmas has been so blatantly wasted. Then he throws a biscuit at her head and lazily summons a pink box from the storeroom. She laughs when she sees the shapely female quidditch player winking at her from the cover of the box. 

"Seriously though, Gin. I'm a little concerned that bubble gum is too predictable a medium for a bubble producing charm—what do you think of gummi bears—ooh, or worms? Good for summer, yeah?" 

Ginny smiles down at her new gift, feeling lighthearted and not caring at all that she's never really liked the boxed daydream charms or that she's not remotely attracted to the rather ridiculously proportioned girl on the cover. "Yeah, definitely good."

*** ***

She tells Bill on Tuesday. Looking back, it may have been wiser to tell him on any day other than the day before the full moon. Bill is always prone to fits of temper just before, but she's never been much good at keeping track of the lunar cycle, which is one of the reasons she never managed an O.W.L. in Astronomy. 

She tells him over dinner at a rather nice steakhouse that he chose when she suggested they get supper together. He breaks his wine glass and spills red wine all over the tablecloth. The waiter rushes over and proceeds to hover about the table, blotting the linen ineffectually with a rag and pouring a fresh glass of Cabernet. Ginny should have told him not to bother. Bill bats away the waiter's helping hands, startling him with a low growl. 

Bill mutters under his breath, things like not in the natural order of things and what will Mum and Dad say? There's a fair bit of growling and some choice cursing interspersed. Ginny does not want to argue about this in a public place, where already the surrounding diners are glancing over surreptitiously, so she doesn't voice any of the comebacks that she has bottled up in her head. She doesn't retort that it's far more natural than being a werewolf, which would be horribly out of line and a terrible thing to say, and she's a little proud that she's finally grown up enough to hold her tongue and not reflexively fire back every nasty comment that flits through her brain. She doesn't argue that she already told their parents about a month ago and they took it far better than he currently is; Mum got a bit weepy and Dad was confused, but they were very understanding and supportive. 

She says nothing, which goes against every instinct she has. There's no reasoning with Bill when he gets like this though, and anything she says will just add fuel to the fire. So she sits silently, feeling foolish, as he rants, and she thinks she probably deserves an Order of Merlin for not hexing him in front of all these muggles for being such a total prat and embarrassing her in public. 

Bill shoves aside his unfinished bloody steak and barely pauses to throw several Galleons on the table before he storms off. Ginny feels a little guilty about transfiguring the napkins into pound notes, but she doesn't have any muggle money on her and knows that the restaurant won't know what to do with the large gold coins. 

That night she tells herself that her churning stomach is guilt over not properly paying for their meal and definitely not hurt over her oldest brother storming out in the middle of supper and publicly humiliating her. She eats an entire packet of chocolate biscuits and moodily vanishes a line of ants in her kitchen one at a time. 

The next morning she gets an owl from Fleur apologizing for Bill's behavior, asking her to tea, and reassuring her that Fleur would work on Bill and that he'd come around soon. Ginny isn't sure whether she's still angry with him or just hurt. She settles for grabbing her broom and engaging in a brutal workout for the entire afternoon. It's a bit easier to ignore things while flying. 

*** ***

She tells Charlie on Wednesday. She sweet talks Harry into getting her an international portkey and meets Charlie that evening at a tiny pub in a small town near the Dragon Reserve. Charlie orders them enough food to feed a Norwegian Ridgeback and practically bounces with excitement at having her in Romania. It makes her feel a little guilty that she does not visit more often. Not wanting a repeat of her experience with Bill, she waits until they're nearly done with pudding before telling him. 

Charlie listens to her explain and nods seriously. He grabs her hand and tells her that he loves her, and she feels a little silly when she has to blink back tears. Then he orders them a round of tuica, some sort of plum brandy that they brew right here in town. He hands her a glass and raises his own in a toast. 

"To women!" He toasts, grinning at her and kicking her lightly underneath the table just like he used to do when she was little and always sat across from him during meals at the Burrow. She grins back and together they throw back the tuica. Charlie continues to chatter on about the proper way to drink the Romanian plum brandy (which is apparently not as after dinner shots like they've just done) and how one of the dragon handlers is working a way to triple distill it using dragon fire with mixed results. Ginny smiles and lets him talk. She makes a note to visit Charlie more often. 

*** *** 

She tells Percy on Thursday. She stops by his flat for drinks after he gets off work. The pursed lips and slightly constipated expression are expected. She just sips at her drink and they sit in silence for a long while. Therefore, she's a bit surprised when he calmly asks her if she wants to get curry take away from the stand on the corner. 

Not sure what exactly he's thinking, she remains uncharacteristically quiet throughout dinner. He seems irritable, but Percy is often annoyed at something and it is not necessarily her attraction to girls or even anything remotely related to her at all. They polish off a truly amazing amount of curry and Percy brings out a package of her favorite chocolate biscuits for afters, which she finds quite comforting. 

He leaves the room for a few minutes and she nibbles on the biscuits, wondering what his complete lack of discussion means. Percy generally wants to over-discuss every detail of every decision and she is more than a little surprised at his silence all evening. It seems distinctly out of character. 

When he reappears, he has an armful of Ministry folders and papers. Jabbing his finger at his glasses, he nearly loses the whole lot and she leaps up to grab some of the folders. 

"What are these, Percy? Work stuff?"

"These are a few files I've gathered—you know, case studies, historical Ministry precedents, memoranda, et cetera. There's still quite a bit of prejudice in the Wizarding Community regarding homosexuality. I think that it's best to start with a bit of good publicity, maybe focusing on gay war heroes, just as a warming up exercise. After that, I think the issues of equality are the first that need to be addressed. Rewriting some of these older documents and lobbying to review old Wizengamot rulings. I think that hiring practices, a few sketchy healing laws, marriage, and adoption will be my primary focus."

Ginny stares at him in amazement. "You are going to be a gay rights activist at the Ministry? Where did you get all of this anyway? Why do you even have this stuff?"

"I have files on everything, Ginny. Much has changed in recent years, you know, and the Ministry of Magic needs to change, as well. I have thousands of files packed away. There's no way I will ever be able to push for all the changes that need to be made—it will take years. But now I've a more personal stake in this, don't I? You're my baby sister and I want you to be happy. This is the only way I know how to show that."

Throwing herself across the table, Ginny clings tightly to her bespectacled brother. He sits there stiffly as she hugs him, patting her awkwardly on the back. Percy might be a stick in the mud and a right prat sometimes, he might be a bit full of himself and far too tidy and complete pants at any sort of physical demonstration of affection, but underneath all of that, he really does care. And Ginny loves him for it.

*** *** 

She tells Ron on Friday. In some ways, he's the one she's most nervous about. He comes over for dinner, which she spent all day making, because Ron is much more reasonable when he's well fed. She tells him over treacle tart and is rewarded with a blank look.

"You're not gay, Ginny." 

"Erm, actually, yeah, I am. That's what I've been trying to tell you."

"No, you're not. You like boys. You were mad about Harry. And what about all those boyfriends back at school—that Ravenclaw git, Dean Thomas, and, again, Harry."

"I don't dislike boys, Ron. I grew up around all boys. I get on with boys extremely well—better than girls for the most part. I like spending time with them, hanging out, flying, playing pranks. And back at Hogwarts, I really didn't know. Or realize, maybe. I like boys, and kissing them wasn't bad, but I just am not interested in anything past that. I have no interest in shagging blokes."

Ron turns quite red at this and mutters incomprehensibly under his breath, "Yes, well, shagging… you… don't want… argh."

She smirks, "Sorry to scar you there, Ron. No more talk of shagging, I promise. Though, it is extremely entertaining." At his look of disbelief, she amends, "for me at least."

"But you liked Harry." Ron cannot seem to wrap his head around that. 

"Yes, I did. Very much. I love Harry and I always will, but I'll never be in love with him. He knows this. And Harry's not in love with me either, though he does care about me quite a lot."

"I just don't understand." Ron looks genuinely bewildered and Ginny sighs. 

"Well, I don't know how to explain it any more clearly, Ron. It's just the way it is. Just eat your treacle tart and think about it. Maybe talk to Harry and Hermione about it. Perhaps it'll be easier to understand from someone who's not me."

"Harry and Hermione know?" Ron boggles at her.

"Of course. Hermione's my best friend. And I told Harry after the final battle, when we talked about whether to get back together. That's the reason we didn't, by the way."

"He said that you two had grown apart." 

"Yes, well, we had. Also, I wasn't quite ready to tell the world yet. I had barely started to really understand it myself. I asked him not to say anything. And you know full well that both Harry and Hermione are ace at keeping secrets."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just did, you big lump."

"I mean, you told Harry and Hermione a long time ago. Why didn't you tell me?" Ron looks hurt and it causes Ginny's heart to twinge a bit.

"Please don't be angry, Ron. You're my brother and I love you more than anything. It was easier to tell Harry and Hermione—I didn't grow up with them. I didn't spend my whole childhood being read fairy tales by them or having them watch me run about the garden with a pillowcase on my head and crying over scraped knees. I didn't worry about their reactions in the same way I worried about yours or Bill's or Charlie's or Mum's or any of my family. I kept putting it off, because I didn't know how you'd react. And I didn't want to lose you. I love you, you know. You drive me batty at times and I often want to hex you, but I love you."

"I love you too, Gin. You know that." He says seriously. He takes a large bite of treacle tart and after a moment's pause, "Are you sure you're gay?" 

Ginny just laughs and throws a spoon at his head. He smiles, still looking a bit flummoxed, and shakes his head at her affectionately. "You crazy harpy."

"Oafish prat," she tosses out and turns back to her dessert. It might take him a while, but he'll get there eventually. He always does. She can wait. 

*** ***

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] A Week of Coming Out](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2331275) by [katmarajade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/katmarajade/pseuds/katmarajade), [sisi_rambles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sisi_rambles/pseuds/sisi_rambles)




End file.
